A gas turbine engine typically includes a fan section, a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. Air entering the compressor section is compressed and delivered into the combustion section where it is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate a high-speed exhaust gas flow. The high-speed exhaust gas flow expands through the turbine section to drive the compressor and the fan section.
A speed reduction device such as an epicyclical gear assembly may be utilized to drive the fan section such that the fan section may rotate at a speed different than the turbine section so as to increase the overall propulsive efficiency of the engine. In such engine architectures, a shaft driven by one of the turbine sections provides an input to the epicyclical gear assembly that drives the fan section at a reduced speed such that both the turbine section and the fan section can rotate at closer to optimal speeds.
A carrier is provided to support rotation of the gears within the gear assembly. The carrier is attached to a torque frame to accommodate torque loads on the gear assembly. A series of pins extending through both the torque frame and carrier provides the connection between the torque frame and carrier. The pins are the only sliding interface, other than the gears, within the gear assembly and can be a source of wear if not sufficiently lubricated. Pressurized lubricant is communicated through passages within the pins to provide lubricant to the contact interface. Providing passages to and through each of the pins complicates assembly and increases costs. Accordingly, it is desirable to design and develop alternate lubricant arrangements to reduce cost and maintain lubricant efficiencies.